Sectional ship



Feb. 13, 1945. p E JR 2,369,265

SECTIONAL SHIP Filed July 13, 1944 INVENTOR. Tim/P THIELIJ'R.

Patented Feb. 13, 1945 "Philip Thiel, Ji-., Ipswich, Mass. Application July s, 1944, Serial No. 544,759

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sectional ships hav- I inga cargo carrying section separable from an engine unit.

An object'oi the invention is to provide such a ship in which the cargo carrying section comprises one or more barges which may be quickly and easily attached to and detached from the en gine unit so that, by ready interchange of ,loaded 1 cargo sections, the time and cost of loading and unloading the ship are greatly reduced. A further object is to provide such a ship which, when loaded, is more'seaworthy and is capable of trav- Fig. l is a general side elevation of the ship, showing the cargo section in place;

Fig. 2 is a deck plan showing the assembled ship; and

Fig. 3 is a mid-ship crosssection on a larger scale on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with cargo sec tion indicated by a dotted line.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bow portion a Ill and stem portion. I! are of more or less conventional construction, the stern portion con- ,taining propulsion and navigating equipment,

eling at much higher speeds than a tug and barge tow arrangement of equivalent cargo carrying capacity. Another object is to provide such a ship of which the engine unit contains propelling and navigating machinery and crews quarters and is equipped and seaworthy for seagoing operation, with or without the barge unit.

In a preferred construction of the invention, the engine unit has the bow and stem of a conventional freighter with machinery art, but is provided with novel structure amidships for receiving the barge section. In this structure the side plating and longitudinal deck strength members of the ship between bow and'stern are concentrated on one side of the ship forming a double wall, the two sides of which are vnarrowly spaced apart. This structure extends below the waterline where the inner wall merges into the upper plating of a double bottom, which plating extends to the other side of the ship and at the the stern and bow portions. Thus the midportion of the ship is formed in substantially L-shaped cross-section providing between bow, stern and the double side wall, a recess or basin extending well below the waterline and open at one side toreceive the barge. This recess ex tends the full width of the ship minus the thick"- ness of the double walled hull at one side.

The engine unit has a double bottom with fuelv and ballast compartments of which the-latter may be flooded with sea water to sink the unit to a 'point at which the barge section may be freely floated laterally into or out of this recess. The barge section is shaped to fltclosely in this recess and to occupy substantially its'full volume so that when the barge section is in place crews quarters, etc. The engine room is indicated at 14, the navigating bridge at l6 and crews quarters at 20. Bow and stem are connected by a double walled side having an outer wall 22 and inner wall 24 forming therebetween a narrow compartment extending above and below the water line, containing at the upper edge sumcient material for imparting the usual longitudinal strength furnished by a conventional ship's deck and ballast tanks 26.

The bow and stern are each provided with watertight end walls which, with the wall 24, merge into the upper plating 28 of the double bottom of the ship, forming therewith a watertight recess for receiving the cargo section 30. The engine unit is equippedwith a double bottom having fuel and ballast tanks indicated at 32, conventional piping and pumps (not shown) being provided for filling, emptying or transferring the bow and stem also ioinsthe inner end walls of ballast and fuel as desired. Additional ballast tanks 34 'are provided at both ends of the recess.

The cargo section is shown as a single barge .30 of more or less usual construction having watchmans quarters 36 and cargo hatches 38. The length and width of the barge are rather closely proportioned to the length and width of the receiving basin or recess of the engine unit and the plating 28 and bottom of the barge are correspondingly shaped so that the barge when in place fits closely on the plating 28 and to wall 24 and the end walls of the bow and stem portions. ture of the cargo section or barge is proportioned to substantially correspond with hull walls 22 and 24 of the engine unit so that the outer side of barge 30 when in position as shown completes a the normal outline of the ship at the open side its outer side forms in eflect a hull side for the i engine unit between how and stem on the open side of the recess.

.In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention:

of the recess. Latching devices 40 are provided at bow and stem of the barge 30 which are engaged by corresponding devices 42 at the inner ends of the bow and stem portions of the engine unit, to'lock the. cargo section against vertical and sidewise movement relative to the engine unit. a

The side longitudinal and vertical curvawith the other ballast tanks.

or, if desired, by winches provided on the engine unit itself.

. To receive a loaded cargo section or barge, the

' engine unit is sunk to a waterline such as 0-0 at which the plating 28 of the recess has a draft greater than that of the loaded barge and is therefore below the bottom of the barge which.

is then floated laterally into registry with the recess with the aid of a tug or winches. The engine unit is then raised by pumping out ballast tanks until the barge rests on the plating 28 and the latches are secured. The ballast tanks are then further pumped to bring the assembled loaded ship to proper sea'going draft and trim.

The ballast tanks 26 included between outer wall .22 and inner wall 24 are employed to aid in the control of trim and stability, in conjunction Although the cargo sectioncompletes the ship in form when in place, it is required to furnish no part of the longitudinal strength of the ship. Adequate longitudinal strength oi? the ship is provided in the engine unit by the double'bot tom,the walls 22 and- 24 and by concentrating the usual deck longitudinal strength material above the walls 22 and 24, conveniently, as

shown in an enlarged space 44 which forms the bulb of a bulb-anglecross-section for the double-walled hull.. The engine unit is, of course, water-tight independently o1 the cargo section and its ballast tanks are 50. disposed and proportioned that it may be made stable so that the engine unit is capable of seagoing operation without a cargo section in case it is desired to move the engine unit unloaded between ports.

While I prefer to make the cargo section a single barge sized to fit a single recess in the engine unit, it may comprise two or more barges which may be positioned end to end and received in a single recess as shown, or the recess may be compartmentized to receive them. Also, the

double-walled hull structure shown at the side may instead be provided in the middle, thus forming a receiving recess at each side of the ship, but this is gene: illy not as satisfactory beaaeaaes ing in the form of at least one floatable cargocarrying barge and being shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly within said recess of said engine unit substantially filling the same, said engine unit being equipped with ballast means for sinking said unit in the water so that the bottom of said recess has a draft greater than the loaded cargo section whereby the loaded cargo section may be floated into the recess an i'or thereupon raising the unit in the water so that the cargo section rests upon the bottom of the recess, said engine unit being watertight with respect to said recess and being seaworthy with and without said cargo section.

2. A sectional ship as 'clame d in claim 1 wherein said recess is amidships or said engine unit and is provided with a side wall connecting bow and stemof the engine unit,- said'side wall I formed substantially in bulb-angle cross-section with the deck longitudinal strength members concentrated in the. hulb.

3. Asectional ship as claimed in claim 1 wherein said recess extends substantially beyond the longitudinal center line of the unit.

4. A sectional ship as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cargo section is a single barge. -5. A sectional ship as caimed in claim 1 wherein said engine unit and cargo section are provided with cooperative means for releasably latching the cargo section in said recess.

6. A sectional ship comprising complementary engine unit and cargo section, said engine unit containing propulsion and navigating equipment for the ship and crew's quarters and having an intermediate portion between bow and stern formed in substantially L-shaped cross-section to provide a cargo section receiving basin, open at one side of .the unit, having a bottom below the waterline of the unit to support the loaded' cargo section, said cargo section having the form of -a fioatable barge dimensioned to fit snugly within said basin with its outer side substantially closing theopen side of the basin, said engine unit equipped with ballast means for sinking said unit in the water so that the bottom of said basin has a draft greater than the loaded draft of the cargo section and for raising said unit, upon floating of the cargo section into said basin, so that the cargo section is supported by the bottom of the basin, said engine unit being watertight with respect to said basin and being seaworthy with and without said cargo section.

'7. A sectional ship as claimed in claim 6 wherein the basin extends transversely of the engine unit beyond the longitudinal center line of the unit.

8. A sectional ship as claimed in claim 6 wherein the longitudinal sidewall of said basin is formed substantially in bulb-angle cross-section with the deck longitudinal strength structure concentrated in the bulb.

9. A sectional ship as claimed in -claim 6 wherein the engine unit and cargo section are provided with cooperative means for releasably latching the cargo section in said basin.

PHILIP THIEL, JR.

. CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,569,265; February 15, 1915.

PHILIP THIEL, JR.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the atiove numbered patent requiring correction asfollowsz Page 2, sec- 0nd column, line 9, claim 1, for "recess an read "recess and; line 15,

claim 2, for "elzsLmed' read -claimed--; line 21, same claim, for "hulb" read -bu 1b line 27, claim '5, for "ceimed" read -c1a.imed--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of June, A. D. 1915.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) v Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

